Exercises in Cross-Cultural Interaction

We have posted four exercises to explore cross-cultural issues. You can do them on your own or as part of a course or workshop. If you have other exercises to suggest, please send us an email.

Exercise 1: What Just Happened?

In cross-cultural interactions, your customary evaluations and interpretations are more likely to be off-base, because you have less shared meaning and experience to draw on. For this reason, this exercise can help you to develop your skill at handling cross-cultural incidents.

Exercise 2: Silent Day

The Silent Day exercise is an intense experience. Participants often talk for hours afterward about what they learned from it. In addition to becoming more aware about human communication, as a pre-departure exercise for students or expatriates preparing to live in a foreign language environment.